Red Hook Criterium Brings High-Speed Bike Racing To Brooklyn

RED HOOK, NY — The annual high-speed, fixed-gear bike race — know for its sharp turns and bad crashes — returns to Red Hook for its 11th year on Saturday.

The Red Hook Criterium pits 40 riders from more than 40 countries against each other through a 1-kilometer track inside the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on fixed-gear bikes without brakes, organizers said.

The technically challenging race is known for it's high speeds — with averages of 29 to 29 miles per hour — and nasty wrecks because of the crowded field and inability to make sudden stops on the brakeless bikes.

Last year, dozens of cyclists wiped out at the start of the women's race, with Italian rider Virginia Cancellieri tearing the ligament off her ankle in the wreck, ABC News reported.

The course has been redesigned for this year's race by widening some turns and creating a new finishing straight, which organizers expect will increase average speeds in the already fast-paced race, CyclingTips reported.

The annual race is free to spectators and starts at 11 a.m. with men's heat races. The event also includes a men and woman's 5K running race starting at 5 p.m.

The main events start at 7:30 p.m. with the women's criterium then ends with the men's criterium starting at 8:30 p.m.

Bruised racers and spectators alike can then head to the nearby Hometown Bar-B-Que after the award ceremony for an after-party starting at 11 p.m., organizers said.

Image: Riders competing in the 2016 Red Hook Criterium in Milan. (Shutterstock)